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Here Are the Finalists For the Locus Awards

The Hugo Awards are once again embroiled in controversy, but another major genre award, The Locus Award, has just released their finalists for this year’s award, and it’s an amazing selection of fiction. The Locus Award is handed out each year by Locus Magazine, a science fiction trade publication, and it solicits its readers and…

io9 Andrew Liptak May 7 '16

Can Facebook Store Your Facial Biometrics? Lawsuit Says No

It’s well-known that Facebook uses an algorithm that can recognize a person based on information in photographs. It’s a little creepy, sure, but is it illegal? Earlier this week, a court ruled against Facebook in a lawsuit that alleged the company unlawfully collected biometric data pertaining to faces in photos without users’ consent, according to…

Social Media Carli Velocci May 7 '16

Count All the Horror References In This Cool Short Film

Donal O’Keeffe’s Dead Ahead is a cool ‘postcard animation’ that pays tribute to a whole bunch of classic horror films. How many references can you spot? I particularly love how the setting is added on (it’s very video-game like), and I saw a couple of nods to Friday the 13th, Jaws and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.…

io9 Andrew Liptak May 7 '16

These Minimalist Posters of Famous Libraries Want to Hang on Your Wall Just Beside the Bookshelf

Libraries are magical places, and even the smallest local branch over the corner deserves your attention, and you should pay a visit regularly. Artist André Chiote believes in the power of libraries, and has put together an astounding set of posters to celebrate their importance. These minimalist posters below, created by Chiote, an architect and…

Tech News Attila Nagy May 7 '16

Martha Wells Discusses Building Fantasy Worlds and Learning as You Go

Fantasy novels are known for their incredible detail and fantastic settings. From Middle Earth to Westros, stories often live or die depending on where they’re set. Martha Wells, who’s recently released the latest installment of her Raksura series, outlines how she builds her own worlds. Her latest novel, The Edge of Worlds, recently came out…

io9 Andrew Liptak May 7 '16

Check Out the Goofy History of Spider-Man in TV and Film

In the leadup to Captain America: Civil War, Burger Fiction has been on a role recently with the history of superheroes – first with Iron Man and then Captain America. Now, they’ve taken a look at the evolution of another fan favorite, Spider-Man! Anticipation for Spider-Man’s entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been incredibly…

Movies Andrew Liptak May 7 '16

These Stunning Maps Show the Final Months of the First World War

The First World War began just over a century ago, and in 2017, the United States will begin to commemorate its entry into the conflict. These three maps show the beginning of the end of the war in incredible and beautiful detail. The three maps were created by the American Battlefield and Monuments Commission, and…

Tech News Andrew Liptak May 7 '16

RIP SF Signal, One of Science Fiction’s Greatest Online Watering Holes

Earlier this week, one of the best websites for the science fiction and fantasy community announced that they were shutting down: SF Signal. Founded by John DeNardo and JP Frantz in 2003, the website has been updated daily ever since, posting thousands of reviews for books, comics and movies, while also providing an indispensable morning…

io9 Andrew Liptak May 7 '16

The Amazing Architectural Evolution of the Filling Station

Gas stations might be boring or even ugly places, but for the most part, you can’t avoid stopping by one on a long trip. However, they have been so many more beyond the basic design of columns, roof and shop over their history. The following 60+1 filling stations encompass almost a century of architectural progression,…

Tech News Attila Nagy May 7 '16

Daredevils Jump Out of Plane, Play Quick Game of Quidditch Before Landing

Quidditch is a real sport, adapted by Middlebury College students for non-magical players on the ground. However, a team has gone and shown us that it’s entirely possible to play the game while in the air: while skydiving. Colombian telecommunications company Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá (ETB) filmed the short film, sending a group of…

io9 Andrew Liptak May 7 '16

Nvidia Spent Billions on Its Newest Video Card

Nvidia president and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang had a pretty big grin on his face when he announced Nvidia’s newest and fanciest video card, the GTX 1080. “This had an R&D budget of billions of dollars,” he told a crowd of gamers in Austin. “Pretty sure this thing could go to Mars.” It’s fast too—according to…

Tech News Alex Cranz May 6 '16

A Smoke Bomb Ice Cocktail Seems Almost Too Dangerous to Drink

If there’s smoke… you should drink it? Cocktail Chemistry shows how you can make an ice ball full of smoke for your cocktails that once you crack open, will unleash the smoke monster. The effect is really cool, like the spirit gods are anointing your drink as worthy. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us…

Sploid Casey Chan May 6 '16

Time Runs Backwards in Latest Video from A Capella Science

Ready for some mind-bending musical physics to take you into the weekend? A Capella Science is back with a new parody video, “Entropic Time,” set to Billy Joel’s classic pop hit, “The Longest Time.” The twist: if you look closely, the video footage is running in reverse—a visual play on the subject of the song.…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette May 6 '16

Riders of the DC and NYC Subway Systems Are Totally Screwed

This week, the passengers of the two most popular public transit systems in the country got some really bad news. Parts of both the Washington, DC and New York City subways will be closed for repairs to their aging infrastructure over the next few years, stranding many without any viable transportation options. For DC, the…

Tech News Alissa Walker May 6 '16

Snowboarding an Abandoned Winter Resort Looks Like So Much Fun

Empty ski resorts? Yeah, that’d be fun to shred. Ski resorts that have been abandoned for four years though? So. Much. More. Fun. Here are a bunch of snowboarders—Red Gerard, Marko Grilc, and Tim-Kevin Ravnjak—having their go in a world left behind for snow to stack up on. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us…

Sploid Casey Chan May 6 '16

Cleaning Up Space Junk Is a Dirty Job, But the Trashonauts Are Here To Do It

Filmmaker Jack Corpening’s short Trashonauts is “dedicated to human space flight, animal rescue, and cleaning up pollution,” with a nifty musical homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey—and the most adorably animated little magnet ever. [Vimeo Staff Picks]

io9 Cheryl Eddy May 6 '16

The Best Thing to Come Out of Gods of Egypt Is Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther

This story is just weird enough to go down in history as one of those great actor as character origin stories. Like Ryan Reynolds picking up an issue of Deadpool only to see the character describe himself as looking like “cross between a Shar-Pei and Ryan Reynolds,” after being given the comics by an executive…

Movies Katharine Trendacosta May 6 '16

The Woman in This Famous Painting May Have Suffered from a Nerve Disorder

The American artist Andrew Wyeth found inspiration for his most famous painting in a neighbor woman who suffered from a crippling, mysterious disorder that baffled her physicians. Now a child neurologist at the Mayo Clinic thinks he’s found the correct diagnosis. The woman in Christina’s World (above) is based on Anna Christina Olson, who lived…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette May 6 '16

30 Science Fiction and Fantasy Songs Absolutely Certain to Get Stuck in Your Head

A couple of days ago, we asked you for your favorite scifi novelty songs, and boy did you deliver. Now we’ve handcrafted a Spotify playlist which is packed full of earworms for you to endure enjoy, and you guys have only yourselves to blame thank. These songs really run the gamut. There are songs that…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta May 6 '16

China Bans Videos of People Eating Bananas

Well, fuck. China has reportedly banned people from seductively eating bananas on film. I am devastated. According to state outlet CCTVNews, the country has banned people from live-streaming their consumption of the delicious yellow fruit. It’s supposedly part of a larger effort to crack down on “inappropriate and erotic content online,” and the regulations will…

Tech News Sophie Kleeman May 6 '16

Here Are the Finalists For the Locus Awards

Can Facebook Store Your Facial Biometrics? Lawsuit Says No

Count All the Horror References In This Cool Short Film

These Minimalist Posters of Famous Libraries Want to Hang on Your Wall Just Beside the Bookshelf

Martha Wells Discusses Building Fantasy Worlds and Learning as You Go

Check Out the Goofy History of Spider-Man in TV and Film

These Stunning Maps Show the Final Months of the First World War

RIP SF Signal, One of Science Fiction’s Greatest Online Watering Holes

The Amazing Architectural Evolution of the Filling Station

Daredevils Jump Out of Plane, Play Quick Game of Quidditch Before Landing

Nvidia Spent Billions on Its Newest Video Card

A Smoke Bomb Ice Cocktail Seems Almost Too Dangerous to Drink

Time Runs Backwards in Latest Video from A Capella Science

Riders of the DC and NYC Subway Systems Are Totally Screwed

Snowboarding an Abandoned Winter Resort Looks Like So Much Fun

Cleaning Up Space Junk Is a Dirty Job, But the Trashonauts Are Here To Do It

The Best Thing to Come Out of Gods of Egypt Is Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther

The Woman in This Famous Painting May Have Suffered from a Nerve Disorder

30 Science Fiction and Fantasy Songs Absolutely Certain to Get Stuck in Your Head

China Bans Videos of People Eating Bananas

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